Most research papers written by students won’t be read by anyone besides their professors.
However, one student research project recently reached a wider audience with the publication of “Roy Hattori and the Japanese American Abalone Fishery of Monterey Bay” in Sea History. An experienced hardhat diver who made a living harvesting abalone out of Monterey, Hattori was the first to discover the species of white abalone off the California coast.
The article was written as part of a marine environmental history course at the Middlebury Institute led by Professor Richard J. King, a regular contributor to Sea History.
“I learned that there are a lot of histories in Monterey that have yet to be told,” said environmental policy student Melissa Ashley. “I’ve always been interested in storytelling and how powerful it can be in encouraging change, but I hadn’t actually written an article before. There are a lot of important questions you have to ask yourself to make sure you aren’t just serving yourself but serving the community in highlighting someone like Roy Hattori, who isn’t talked about as much as someone like John Steinbeck.”
An irreplaceable team member was Tommy Hattori, Roy’s grandson, who shared stories about his grandparents.
“It gave another dimension you won’t get from just articles and artifacts,” said Ashley.
The project started with work with the Japanese Americans Citizens League (JACL) of Monterey Peninsula, which opened its museum in 2019.
“We asked them what they needed,” said Ashley.
Monterey historian Tim Thomas, co-chair of the JACL board, initially tasked each student with writing up explanatory text to accompany an artifact in the museum. This evolved into the article. The team included Ashley and fellow graduate student Leilani Leszkay, as well as undergraduate students Caleb Fineske, Sophia Wittig, and Kylie King from Middlebury College, who spent the semester at the Institute through the Study Away at Monterey program. Study Away is open to undergraduates across the country, offering experiential-based opportunities connecting with the community and the chance to get a taste of graduate school.
“A lot of my love for the ocean started in Monterey so it feels like this is coming full circle,” said Ashley, who grew up in the Bay Area and often came down to this area. “Understanding marine environmental history is really important for people doing conservation work today.”
| by Jason Warburg
Middlebury College student Finn Warner writes that he learned more about himself while enrolled in the Study Away at Monterey program than he ever had through any combination of essays, exams and discussions.
| by Sierra Abukins
Middlebury undergraduates and graduate students spent their summer in Monterey through Middlebury Social Impact Corps, creating guides to the history of a unique hiking trail with a local nonprofit.
| by Mark C. Anderson
Millions of people worldwide struggle to find safe, clean water. An Institute professor and students are working to change that through research, advocacy and invention.
